Page 238 of That Rush

No one knocks.

When I open the door twenty minutes later, Hudson is arguing that melted ice cream still qualifies as ice cream. Adrienne disagrees on scientific grounds. Josie runs over and takes my hand, her grip warm and unquestioning as she leads me toward the porch.

Aiden slides a fresh glass of lemonade toward me and continues listening to Scotty’s story. His hand finds the back of my chair, warm and familiar, without making my return an event.

The last car leaves shortly after nine. Aiden’s phone vibrates for the fourth time while we’re carrying dishes inside.

He glances at the screen and stops walking.

“What happened?”

“Ethan.” He sets the plates on the desk and opens a message. His expression hardens as he watches whatever is playing on the screen.

I move beside him. The video is short and shaky, filmed outside one of the barns at the Texas ranch. Ethan has a man backed against a truck while two ranch hands attempt to pull him away. I can’t hear what started it. I hear Ethan tell the man he has ten seconds to get off Slade property before the recording cuts out.

“How many people have seen that?”

Aiden looks at the number beneath the video. “Too many.”

His phone rings again. This time, the screen says Wyatt.

Aiden answers. “Tell me no one was hurt.”

I can’t hear the response, but his mouth flattens.

“What did Ethan say?”

Another pause.

“That sounds like him.”

Aiden listens while I collect the abandoned plates and place them on the desk. His posture grows more rigid with every answer he receives.

“Who posted it?” he asks. “And where’s the rest of the video?”

Whatever Wyatt says makes him mutter a curse.

“You’re bringing Ethan back to Colorado?”

My attention snaps fully to him.

“For how long?”

He glances at me, then turns toward the porch. “And he agreed to that?”

The laugh that leaves him contains no amusement.

“Yeah. That sounds like him too.”

Aiden ends the call and immediately starts typing something into his phone.

“Is Ethan in trouble?”

“He’s a Slade caught on camera threatening someone. By morning, we’ll all be in trouble.” He scrolls through the results on his screen. “Two sponsors have already called Wyatt, and someone sent the video to every local news station between Dallas and Denver.”

“What happened before the recording started?”

“Ethan claims that man threatened one of the ranch hands and then tried to make him take responsibility for something he didn’t do.”